Mental health in the

workplace.

What is mental health?

We all have mental health the same as we allhave physical health, and in the same way thatwe can be physically fit, our mental health canbe in good or poor shape. Being mentallyhealthy, means that we can overcome life’schallenges or difficulties, make decisions andlook after ourselves. Our mental health doesn’t stay the same, thereare times for all of us when we feel stressed,anxious or down. However, it is important torecognise when you or someone close to youmay need extra support. There are many different types of mentalhealth problems ranging from more commonproblems like anxiety or depression, to rarerdisorders such as bipolar or personalitydisorders. Research shows that over one in six people inEngland will experience the symptoms of amental health problem in any one given weekand less than half of working people with amental health problem had told their manager.

Good for people and good for business Looking after the mental health of youremployees has far reaching benefits and thewellbeing of staff is linked to strong businessperformance through happy, motivated,productive and committed staff. Implementing mental health and wellbeinginitiatives can be simple and low cost, thisguide introduces how organisations of everyshape and size can easily implement a mentalhealth plan.  

Over 11 million working days are lost in the UKeach year because of mental health problems.

This guide is designed to help you as anemployer or manager think about the stepsthat you can take in your organisation to createan open and supportive culture for people totalk about mental health and wellbeing ingeneral. You may need to take further adviceon the approach to a particular case.

The information for this guide has beensourced from UK based mental health charities,for more information on their work and to findout more about mental health in the workplacego to the list of resources in section 6. Many of these resources are available free ofcharge and are easy to use. It is well worthtaking the time to research the tools that areavailable, you could even recruit a small teamof mental health champions from across yourbusiness to take the lead on this.

1. How to implementmental health awarenessin your organisationThe first step to a successful mental health planin is that everyone in the workplace needs to beon board, with senior leaders filtering themessage to employees that their wellbeingmatters, that it is OK to talk about our mentalhealth and seek support if needed.   Here are some simple things that you can do toensure that all staff are looking after theirmental wellbeing. 

Encourage staff to: take their lunch breakswork healthy hoursuse their full holiday entitlement

Provide mental health training for managers

The triggers for workplace stress and mentalhealth problems may seem obvious:

Long hours and no breaks Unrealistic deadlines or expectations Overly pressurised working environment,Un-manageable workloads or lack of controlover workloadInability to use annual leavePoor physical working environmentHigh-risk rolesDifficult interpersonal relationshipsPoor internal communicationsPoor managerial supportJob insecurity or poorly managed change

2. How to recognise ifsomeone needs mentalhealth supportIt can be difficult to spot when someone isstruggling with their mental health. However,there are a few signs to look out for, but,remember that everyone’s experience ofmental health is different, the important thing,is to be open about mental healthconversations. If you notice that over the period of a fewweeks a person is uncharacteristically showingsome of the signs below, check in with themand see how they are feeling:

Overly tiredShort tempered or have outbursts of angerNot as motivated as they previously havebeenLess social at work or isolate themselvesAbsent from workNot looking after their appearance as theynormally would.

Use your induction period:  Using a freetool such as Mind's free e-learningpackage can be used in the first fewweeks of work and shows yourcommitment to looking after employeesat the outset.

Promote mental health awarenessamong employees: Create events aroundexisting mental health awareness,  Thereare many sources of free information andmaterials that you can use to share withstaff, from posters to newsletters andmagazines. Time to Change have a rangeof free resources to help raise awareness.

Encourage open conversation aboutmental health: Mental health should bediscussed openly with employees, If youhave team meetings, you could runsessions or workshops on mental health tohelp to open the conversation, reducestigma and get the whole team on-board,asking them for their input. 

Provide good working conditions: Goodworking conditions can help to preventmental health problems and supportthose with existing conditions. This meansoffering fair pay, job security, goodworking conditions and education andtraining . Encourage your staff to adoptsensible work patterns.

Provide effective people management: Itis essential that managers have regularcatch ups with their employees, this helpsto build trust and gives people theopportunity to raise issues. Regular one toones, can help identify problems early andallow both employee and manager tomake a wellbeing action plan,  that canstop a mental health problem fromspiraling out of control.

Monitor employee mental health andwellbeing: Depending on the size of theorganisation it may be possible to usetools such as staff surveys to monitor thegeneral wellbeing of the organisation. This can help open up communicationsabout improving support and gives staff asafe way to feedback ways that they feelthe organisation could improve.

The six steps below are simple ways to toidentify and manage workplace triggers.

Some people may find it difficult to talk toabout their mental health problems. Althoughawareness is increasing, they may be worriedabout people’s responses. In fact, fear ofdiscrimination and feelings of shame areamong the top reasons for people not openingup to colleagues. It is vitally important that we create workplaceswhere people can speak openly about theirmental health and reach out for help andsupport when they need it.

1 in 4 people working ina small workplace, felt

that their managerwouldn’t be able to spotthe signs of poor mental

health – MIND IndexSurvey 2018

3. How to talk to and supportemployees

It can be daunting to talk about mental healthat work, you may be nervous that you willoffend or upset someone. However, often thefirst step is to just ask someone how they aredoing. They may not be ready to talk, but it isimportant to let them know that your door isopen, and you are there to give them support ifthey need it. Work can be really important in the recovery ofmental health, and there are some adjustmentsthat you can make for mental health, these arejust a few ideas, it is important to discuss withthe individual what they think will work forthem:

Flexible working, such as, allowing them towork remotely i.e. within set days or at timesAdjusted working patterns to allow for earlyor late travelExcusing someone from work functions thatmay exacerbate a conditionChanges to break times e.g smaller breaksthroughout the day or different breakpatternsGiving employees time off for appointmentssuch as counsellingChanging job duties if there are tasks suchas customer facing work that make theproblem worse.Extra management support or allocating abuddy or mentor to help manage workloadProviding a safe space in the workplacewhere the person can go if they are in needof time out

It is important to keep lines of communicationopen, to understand what changes theindividual needs. Never assume that you knowwhat can make things better, but be open tomaking changes that can support the personsmental health in the workplace.

Managers should develop a wellness actionplan with staff to proactively manage theirmental health. This will allow people to plan inadvance and develop a tailored solution forsupport at a time when they are not coping sowell. This also helps to facilitate discussion, putin place agreed steps and can be used tomonitor and review. The charity Mind canprovide more information on developing anaction plan, with a guide available formanagers and staff.

Develop an action plan

4. How to supportemployees returning towork

Sometimes, a person’s mental health problem,will require some time off work. It is importantto continue to give support for the personwhen off work; It can be difficult for people toreturn to work after suffering mental illness.They may worry about what other people willthink, or that they may not be able to cope.However for most people it is a positive step intheir recovery. Keeping in touch with the person is a greatway to to ease the transition back to work andcan make their return much less daunting.However, it is also important to agree with theperson, how they would like to be contactedand the frequency.

Ask what they would like their colleagues tobe told.If there is a social event, invite them along.Send a 'get well soon' card, as you would forphysical health. Make sure that they are kept in the loopabout important events so that they still feelinvolved Communicate clearly with the rest of theteam, to ensure that they understand thesituation and what is expected from them.

Returning to work Before the person returns to work, it will beimportant to talk to them about the steps youcan take to ensure their return is successful,think about the adjustments in part 3 anddiscuss how these may help the employeesettle back into work. This would normally bediscussed in a return to work meeting, beforethe person is due back at work. Ideally thismeeting would take place, in a neutral andcomfortable venue. It may also be useful to refer the person to amental health charity, who will have lots ofresources, information and support available tohelp people returning to work. At the return to work meeting, you can discussa return to work plan that will put in place keysteps, to ensure that their return is notoverwhelming or stressful, this may include,practical adjustments, on the job support andpeer support. This can be written up andagreed, which can help reassure the personthat their needs will be met. On the first day back in the office:

Met the person on their first day back Have a plan for the day, with jobs to get onwith and a structure to the day Arrange a catch up for later in the day to seehow they are getting on Arrange lunch with someone that they areclose to

5. Helping employees to staywell A wellness plan gives employees ownership oftheir mental health at work and the steps thatthey need to take to stay well, it also remindsthem what their line managers can do tobetter support them. Wellness plans are not just for people that haveor have had a mental health problem, all staffcan benefit through a proactive approach toworkplace wellness.

The NCC Benevolent Fund is a registered in England and Wales, charity number 271625

6. Other resources Click on the resources below for moreinformation, advice and templates to helpimplement a mental health plan for yourworkplace.

1) Mind mental health at work

2) Mental Health Foundation -  a guide tomental health in the workplace

3) Heads Together - workplace wellbeing

4) Mental Health at Work

5) Time to Change - get your workplaceinvolved